Beer snob

How could I forget my other fall love, beer? I must admit that it’s taken a back seat in my life as of late. For a few years fall meant another upcoming Maine Brewers Festival. Back then there wasn’t anything better than an event where all your favorite beer companies got together and for one small price you could get a dozen 8 oz. or so glasses full of their best offerings. Those were the days! Now we make it to one Oktoberfest annually where they also have activities for the kids, Hyland Orchard and Brewery. Along with some great beer they have farm animals, apple picking, wagon rides, loud music and pumpkin patches. Now that’s Agritainment!

Fall is the time for one of my favorite styles of beer which many beer co.’s give the name Oc(k)toberfest. It’s usually a sweet, malty flavor with a hint of hops. Here are a few favorites:

And one we had this past weekend that couldn’t have tasted bad since we were drinking it as reward for bringing the kids to the Big E, Sam Adams’ Octoberfest. If you click on that link it gives you the opportunity to lie about your age.

And so this post won’t totally be off the beaten path, I give you hops.

Our first garden in Maine included a trellis with 3 different varieties of hops. Ahhhhhhh the aroma when they were in full bloom and ready to be harvested! I think we had enough for one batch of homebrew. Back in those days we dried the hops, now they are ‘wet hopping’ and putting the fresh picked hops right into the pot. Here’s a variety that I must get my hands on soon, Sierra Nevada Wet Hop Harvest Ale.